Continuing the format started in December, I’ve made several selections here. This week: the obituary of an influential psychiatrist, a clever paper on values and schizophrenia, and a report that considers the use of psychiatric services in Ontario.

In general, Readings in this format don’t have a common theme. That said, this week, a common thread runs through the three selections: challenging assumptions.

Dr. Agid and his co-authors look at the values of those with schizophrenia, challenging the assumption that our patients value what we value; the HQO-ICES report challenges what we think we know about psychiatric care and care delivery in Canada’s largest province. And what can be said of Dr. Robert Spitzer? Well, he made a career out of challenging psychiatric assumptions – much to his credit, and to our benefit.